


Oxygen’s Overrated

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bottom Lance (Voltron), Falling In Love, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Fuckbuddies, Love Confessions, M/M, Sex Toys, Smut, Top Keith (Voltron), klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-03-04 15:50:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13367997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When Lance and Keith become friends-with-benefits to blow off some steam, neither of them expect feeling to come out of their arrangement... especially not love.





	1. Baby lock them doors

**Author's Note:**

> Beta’d by Ana!!!
> 
> so i tried this.. because people said they wanted it. so here we are??

Keith really wished Lance would stop looking at him like that.

Keith noticed that he kept twitching, kept fidgeting- and his eyes kept trailing down Keith's body, blatantly obvious for everyone to see. Those fucking blue eyes that Keith swore he could drown in.

Was Keith even listening to the meeting anymore?

He snapped his eyes back to Pidge, who sat across from him with a grin on her face. Pidge wasn't stupid- she knew exactly what the fuck was going on- and she kept wiggling her eyebrows at Keith behind Allura's back. Kept giving Keith a _look_ every time Lance would make eye contact and caused Keith to blush. It was driving him crazy- he just wanted to leave and go do whatever Lance wanted to do.

And no, he didn't really care that Pidge knew. She knew everything that went on in the castle, and he had come to terms with her knowing very soon after his and Lance's arrangement had been set into action. He was fine with it. Whatever. It's not like she would rat them out. Probably.

Hunk he also didn't mind. He wasn't too close with him, so he could really not care less about what Hunk thought- but Hunk was Lance's best friend, so if Lance wanted to keep it secret he would. His lips were sealed for now.

(Although, he was sure Hunk had caught on by now.)

He wasn't even sure if Allura and Coran knew what sex _was_. It was probably different on Altea, but if it wasn't, Keith was okay with them knowing as well. He really didn't care.

All he cared about was if _Shiro_ knew.

Shiro was like an older brother to Keith- he had been there for... for as long as Keith could remember- and he was always just so cool to Keith. This cool dude that did everything right and was super skilled at flying and could make new friends no matter what, etc. Keith might've even gone as far as to say he was a bit envious of Shiro. The guy was a legend, after all.

So yea. Keith was convinced that if Shiro knew about him and Lance, he'd never be able to face him again.

Keith looked up as Allura ended the meeting, and pretended he was listening to the last hour and a half instead of sitting there thinking of Lance.

(Specifically- if he were being honest- Lance's dick.)

Everyone got up to leave, and before Keith could get very far, Lance was pulling him away from everyone by his arm and pushing him into a dark hallway and kissing him.

Keith liked kissing Lance. It was as if- for a moment- he could pretend this was all because they were together. Not because they had an arrangement to be friends with benefits. And Lance liked kissing Keith, (for the same reasons, though Keith figured it was because Lance deemed himself a _'romantic'_ ) and so he kissed Keith as much as he could before he sucked his dick.

"Baby, I've been waiting what felt like _years_ for Allura to shut up so I could do this-"

Keith broke the kiss and rolled his eyes. "Thought you had a thing for Allura," he teased. Lance scoffed at him and started kissing down his neck. Keith both loved and hated when he did this- on the one hand, it left marks that literally _anyone_ on the team could see if he didn't cover them up with his jacket collar or paladin bodysuit. On the other hand- it felt fucking great, and Keith _loved_ when Lance marked him.

"Fuck-- you know I've only got a thing for you, baby- fuckin'... come on, let's go before someone calls for us-"

This is how Keith could tell Lance was really desperate- really itching for a quickie-- when he called him baby. It only ever happened once in awhile, but every time it did the sex was fucking _amazing_. Like, okay- the sex was good all the time, but the times when Lance or Keith (or both of them, at the same time) were _really_ horny, it was _so. much. better._ It ended in them marathoning as much as humanly possible (Keith always lasted longer and prided himself on his stamina) before being called to go and do something again. It was always paladin business- go spend time with your lion, go save this planet, go _recruit_ this planet, go train with your fellow paladins.

Lance and Keith trained _enough_ , thank you very much.

Just as they made it around the corner and into Keith's room, static broke out across the comms.

 _"Lance? Lance can you come help me with my lion, buddy?"_ Hunks voice broke out against the small room. Lance sighed and flopped back on the bed as Keith laughed.

"Knew it was gonna happen. It always does," Keith teased him, biting a kiss onto Lance's neck. He shuddered at the contact and then got up, stretching his back. Keith didn't even notice how his shirt rode up, to reveal his stomach and his hipbones and the waistband to his boxers...

Ok, that's a lie. He noticed a _little_.

Lance turned back to him with a hopeful expression. "Do we not even have a little time to fool around? Can I take an IOU? Suck me off now and I'll repay the favor--"

Keith started to think it was a good idea before he sighed, rubbing his face. "Nah- if you're gone much longer without an answer, people will go looking. And if they go looking, they'll most definitely find us.

Lance almost looked like he didn't care about that last bit, but then sighed and threw up his hands. "Fine! Fine- I'll go clean Blue or something. But when I get back, I am _so_ sucking your dick, okay?"

Keith shuddered at the thought. "Alright."

Lance winked, something Keith would honestly never get tired of seeing, and left: leaving Keith alone and kind of hard.

He _really_ wanted to wait for Lance though. So what if he was a bit of a masochist? He was going to the training deck.

Keith heaved himself off his bed and grabbed his knife, starting off down the hallway to the deck. When he got there, he was pleasantly surprised to find it was empty, although it was about five in the afternoon- or at least, that's what time Pidge's computer said. She still hadn't changed it from Earth hours, so they were all able to keep track of the dates and times on Earth. Keith supposed it gave everyone else a bit of comfort, for him it was just a reminder of how long him and Lance had been doing this.

Almost two months and fourteen days- not like Keith was _counting_ , of course- that they had been going behind the backs of the team to release some steam. To fuck away their problems.

The thing is- it actually benefited the team, a lot. Lance and Keith got along _great_ \- they worked really well as a team, their bond was probably the strongest of _anyone_ on team Voltron; they even fought less. _Way_ less. And when they did, they'd resolve it by aggressively fucking each other into next week.

Everything was absolutely great- which is why Keith worried so much.

He knew Lance liked him- at least enough to spend a bunch of time with Keith's dick in his mouth- but the problem was Keith didn't know how _much_. Because in all honesty, Keith really liked Lance. Maybe even loved him- (Keith had never been in love so he wasn't too sure) but didn't know if Lance felt the same. And it drove Keith crazy to think about.

He was already unsheathing his knife and calling out to the room, "Training level one!" When he slipped into a deep thought.

It was always the same thing- _Did_ Lance love him? Or have the capability of loving him? Or did he just think of him as a conquest- or worse, convenient? Just convenient that they're both stuck in space together- the only two members of the team that don't feel uncomfortable with having sex, and it just so happened that they both like boys.

But that couldn't be it. Lance was a good person, and Keith knew that. He knew how hard Lance worked at everything, how he used flirting as a coping mechanism. How he missed his family so much it physically _hurt_ him sometimes- how he would wake up in the middle of the night, rocking and crying and yelling and grabbing out for a mom that wasn't there, for a brother he'd almost forgotten, for a cousin he didn't get to see grow up. Keith knew all too well what it all felt like. And every time, he would take Lance in his arms and hold him. Let Lance shake and cry and cling on to Keith until he couldn't breathe- until his face hurt from crying and his eyes were bloodshot and Keith would hold him close because he didn't know what else to do.

And it grounded them both, because sometimes it was Keith who would get the nightmares- and Lance would hold him the same, rub circles into his back the same, kiss his temple and whisper little affectionate praises into his hair the same, and anchor them. But even that was too good- not, too _much_ for Keith. Because that felt like love-

And this wasn't love.

This was an agreement made by friends to fuck each other when the going gets tough. That was the original plan- not hold each other and whisper tender thoughts into each others ears in the dead of night. Not to kiss before a mission and worry and ache the whole time, wondering if they're both gonna make it out okay. Not to smile at each other during meetings or laugh with each other in the common room.

They were just fooling around- thats _it_.

_(Or at least, that's what Keith thought.)_

So when hours had passed and Keith still hadn't noticed, too caught up in his training and his thinking, Lance was walking onto the deck and turning off training level 24, snapping Keith out of his thoughts.

He was all sweaty, and he knew he was sweaty. And hot, like, heat-wise. And tired and panting and out of breath.

"Look at you, training all day. Gettin' buff and shit- how am I supposed to compare to you when you got guns like _those_? What the fuck, Keith." He was smiling, however. He knew how much Keith loved when Lance complimented him.

"Hey, Lance, done with cleaning Blue?" 

Lances smile was blinding as he nodded his head, crossing over to Keith and holding him by the hips. _This_ is what made Keith nervous- literally anyone could walk by the training room doors and see them, practically already grinding against each other, planting sloppy kisses on faces and lips and noses, Lance's hands running up the back of Keith's shirt. "Come on baby- let's go finish what we were starting," he said, playing with Keith's zipper. 

"You're so fucking cheesy-" Keith laughed, stepping back and grabbing a glass of water from the cooler in the wall. He took a swig and looked back at Lance, who looked like he was being physically pained by the fact he wasn't fucking Keith right now. 

"So what- come on, please- I just listened to Hunk talk about mechanics and shit for like, an hour, and all the while I literally could _not_ stop thinking of your cock. Let's _go_." 

Keith rolled his eyes and started leaving the training deck, Lance following with a grin on his face. "Okay, okay. But I wanna shower first. You should too- I wanna eat you out tonight." 

Lance's eyes went wide and he nodded, breaking off to go to his room. "Alright, okay, cool- uhh-- see you in your room in like? Half an hour?" 

Keith nodded. "Totally." 

They went their separate ways and Keith entered his room, the mechanical whirr of the door buzzing as it closed behind him, as he stripped off his shirt and then his pants, throwing them into the laundry chute. He walked into the bathroom and turned on the water, hot enough so he could wash the grime from working out off his body. The spray of the shower felt almost cool against his skin, and he realized that maybe this was a bad idea. He was so exhausted from training, taking a nice hot shower and then getting into bed wasn't going to make him wanna fuck Lance. Cuddle with him, maybe- but not fuck. 

But Lance wanted to, and fuck if Keith wasn't a people-pleaser. 

He dried off and went back to his bed, getting under the covers. He usually took really quick showers, and he thought maybe he could get a little rest in while he waited for Lance. 

It wasn't even a minute before his door was being opened and Lance was walking in, his robe on and his hair a bit messy and smelling like saltwater and... vanilla? That was new. 

"Baby lock them doors and turn them lights down loooow," He sang, as he locked Keith's door and let his robe fall off his shoulders. 

"I can't believe you went commando under that. What if the castle had gone under attack and you had to wear your suit without boxers on? We tried that once and you _hated_ it." 

Lance rolled his eyes and got in bed, straddling Keith and planting kisses on his neck, the specific places he knew would drive him crazy. Keith was ridiculous, of course he would have the energy to fuck Lance. Especially with him smelling like that, smiling like that, kissing him like that. Lance always made Keith feel like he was so fucking special, so fucking important. Nobody ever made Keith feel like that. 

Lance dropped one of his hands from Keith's cheek and brought it down to stroke him, making Keith's breath hitch. "Lance--" Keith let out, a shaky breath he didn't know he'd been holding in. Lance just continued to stroke, biting Keith's ear and tugging. Lance always got more aggressive when they hadn't fucked in a while, as if he needed it to stay sane. Keith both loved it and thought it was ridiculous. 

"Y'know how long it's been since we've done this?" Lance asked, growling as he kissed down Keith's chest. He sucked a hickey onto his nipple as he rubbed at the other with his finger. Keith really couldn't help to moan that floated out of him. Lance _knew_ he was sensitive. "It's been _three days,_ Keith. Three days, not being able to taste you-" 

That pulled another sharp breath out of Keith, who was always turned to fucking puddy in Lance's grip. Always went soft when he heard Lance talk to him like he was all that mattered. He figured it was probably because he didn't have that growing up, and that he was coping for something much more depressing than just "He liked being told he was pretty." Which he did, but that was besides the point. 

"T-- tell me I'm pretty, Lance?" 

This little agreement was so common and familiar with them that they hardly got embarrassed anymore. Turns out when you've literally stuck your dick up your teammates asshole and then licked your own cum out of it, you tend to not be embarrassed by kinks and shit. 

"So fucking pretty, Keith- you're fucking gorgeous, fucking beautiful-- so, _so_ pretty," Lance murmured, trailing his kisses farther to Keith's hips and sucking a deep bruise on his hipbone. That was another place Lance knew about that drove Keith mad- that and his thighs. But Lance always saved the best for last. "Prettiest boy in the fucking _universe-- fuck, Keith-_ gonna come from just looking at you-" 

Keith moaned into the praises and adoration and grabbed at Lance's hair. "Fuck-- look so fucking beautiful, Lance-" 

Lance smiled as he dropped his lips lower, dragging teeth across his thigh until he reached his favorite place to mark Keith, still just barely red from last time but quickly fading. He took warm flesh between his teeth and sucked on his thigh, making Keith let out a pent-up huff of air. Keith held his breath a lot, like he didn't care if he ever stopped breathing. He could live off Lance instead. 

"Fuck, Lance- stop- mmmh- stop fuckin' teasin' me--" 

"But it's so much fun..." Lance teased, licking a small stripe up Keith's thigh, coming so close to where he wanted to be, his nose touching the base of Keith's cock. 

"If you don't fucking do something, I'm not gonna let you suck me off at all-" 

Lance's eyes went wide and he scoffed. "What?" 

"You heard me," Keith said, grinning. "Now suck my fucking dick, or you're gonna be _punished,_ got it?" 

Lance wasted no time surging forward and taking all of Keith into his mouth, the very tip grazing the back of his throat. It wasn't unusual, though. Lance really liked sucking Keith's dick. Keith had no idea why, since he'd done it a couple times and just didn't see the appeal, but some nights Lance could come from just this-- taking Keith so far he got tears in his eyes as Keith blindly combed fingers through his short hair, calling him a slut and softly thrusting into his mouth. It made Keith feel so fucking dominant it fucked with his brain sometimes. 

"Fucking slut," Keith bit out as Lance sucked him, his tongue drawing hazy patterns on the underside of his cock as his head bobbed up and down, a slow, _antagonizingly_ slow pattern as he reached around and fingered himself open. When he had reached for the lube and put some on his fingers, Keith didn't know. Lance was fast and sneaky. Blink and you'd miss him. "You like taking my cock, don't you? Like when I come down your throat-- fucking cockslut. So fucking good." A lot of the chatter was normal by now. What could they say- Keith liked being called pretty and Lance liked being called a slut. Worked out well for the both of them, Keith guessed. 

Lance popped off Keith's leaking cock, licking precome from the tip and bringing a hand up to stroke him as Lance kissed at more of Keith's hip- making sure to leave marks everywhere, intimate ones he knew the rest of the team would never see. That's another thing Lance liked- being possessive. Keith could remember when the two of them had been on a mission, and the planet was full of very nice-looking aliens-- and one of them had tried hitting on Keith until Lance stepped in and practically _growled_ at them, telling them Keith was _his. His!_ As if they were... as if they were something. And then Lance had dragged Keith into a dark corner and fucked him senseless, whispering _mine, mine, mine,_ into Keith's ear as he tried to muffle his moans. Kind of how he was leaving kisses on his hip, whispering _mine_ with every peck. 

He went back to licking at Keith's cock, actually sucking every time he came up, curling his tongue as he went down. Keith was so fucking close. 

"Mmmh- Lance, Lance- Lance so fuckin' good, fuckn' good-- fuck Lance, look so good sucking my cock, fuck, baby..." 

Now, Keith was not one for pet names. 

He hardly ever called Lance "baby," since that was Lance's name for Keith and it was designed only for when he was especially hot and bothered. Besides- pet names weren't apart of the deal. Sure, they called each other beautiful, but Keith steered clear of things like "baby," or "sweetheart," or Lance's signature "pretty boy," because that would make this all too real. 

So, why he said it, Keith had no idea, all he knew was that as he said it, Lance stuttered, and looked up at him with wide eyes and sweat mopping his hair into crazy waves. Keith could never get over how adorable Lance looked when he got sweaty and his hair started to curl. He came back up and looked at Keith in bewilderment before breathing out a _"Fuck, Keith,"_ and going back down on him, forceful and hard, causing Keith's muscles to tense and his toes curl, his nails probably digging into Lance's scalp a bit too hard, but all of a sudden, in a blur, he was coming- and Lance took all of it in his mouth, putting two fingers in to swirl around the mix of saliva and come before bringing his hand back and smearing some on his asshole- slowly pressing in again and shivering at the feeling. 

"God- Keith common', wanna feel you now. Please. Please, please, please--" Lance drabbled, a bit of Keith's come puddling out the side of his mouth. He looked so fucked-out, Keith almost felt bad. That was, until he brought a hand down to stroke Lance, help him come as well, only to find Lance's cock sticky. 

"D-- did you already come?" Keith choked out, his breath sharp. He looked at Lance, who was still fucking himself on his fingers, very similar to how Keith found him their first time. He just nodded, and the swallowed around the other two fingers in his mouth. Keith preened. _Fuck, that was hot._

"Fuck Lance- you-- you're so fucking hot," Keith said, leaning forward to kiss Lance. Lance took his fingers out of his mouth and met Keith's lips, and when they drew away a strand of saliva connected their lips. Lance was a fucking wreck, he was drooling and fucking himself even though he had just come and Keith _knew_ he was over sensitive- and he wanted _more?_

As Keith said- he was a people pleaser. 

He reached over to get the lube, and was stopped by Lance's hand on his wrist. "No. Just you." 

"What?" 

"Just _you_ ," Lance restated, pulling his fingers out of himself and showing Keith the mess of his own come and some of the bright red lube on his fingers. "Just your come." 

Keith raised an eyebrow, but did consider it. "It's gonna hurt like hell-" 

"Then go slow, but for fuck's sake, come on-" 

Keith pressed another open-mouthed kiss to Lance before taking his own cock in his hand and stroking himself as they maneuvered, Lance laying with his back against the sheets, slowly working himself open until Keith moved his hand away. Keith took a deep breath before pressing the tip of his cockhead to Lance's hole, and shivering as he slowly pushed in, feeling Lance contract and squeeze around him in encouragement. He felt so fucking good, as he took Keith more are more, Keith having to stop to catch his breath as he bottomed out, his hips flush to Lance's ass. His legs curled around Keith's waist, drawing him in more and more, his hands coming to grip at Keith's shoulder and dig his nails in soft flesh to ground himself. 

"F-- fuck Keith. Feel so good- please, please move- please, wanna feel you move inside me--" 

And who was Keith to deny such a polite request? 

He drew out of Lance slowly before shallowly thrusting back in again, causing Lance to throw back his head in bliss, hissing out a _"yes,"_ as Keith did it again, harder this time- faster. They rocked like that for a bit, Keith thrusting into Lance and wrecking him, further and further as a pool of precome formed on Lance's stomach and he drooled onto his pillow. Too blissed out to even remember to close his damn mouth. Keith thought he was the most beautiful like this- too fucking gone to even function anymore. Lance's breath was short and hard, coming out in tiny hisses that made Keith remember to breathe again. 

"Fuck-- Keith please don't stop, don't fucking stop-- _fuck--_ " 

"Lance- _Lance, LanceLanceLance--_ " 

"Fuck-- Keith, I'm gonna-- I-- please Keith, faster-- c'mon baby--" 

"Fuck, Lance-- fuck--" 

Lance came in a jolt as Keith continued to thrust into him, overworking Lance's sensitive hole until he came as well, deep into Lance. Keith pulled out and flopped over on his side, taking deep breaths as him and Lance came down from their high. 

"Fuck," Keith said. It seemed to be his favorite word nowadays. He looked over at Lance and smiled, but Lance was too occupied with... "What the fuck are you doing?" 

Lance looked at Keith and then back down at where Keith's cum was dripping out of him. He took and finger and dragged it through the cum, tacking his fingers together for a beat before he said, "When do you think we're going to the next space mall?" 

Keith was confused and, honestly, a bit hard because _Lance had no fucking right to look so hot playing with cum between his fingers and thighs_. "I don't know, why?" 

Lance looked back down at the cum, licking it off his finger and turning to Keith. The mere simplicity of it sent Keith's head spinning. "Because I think I wanna go back to the store. Where we got the lube." 

"Do we need more?" 

"Well, yea, but... I wanna get something." 

"Like a toy?" Keith teased. 

"Uh. Yea." 

Keith's face went red and he coughed, intertwining his arms around Lance so he wouldn't have to look at him. "Oh... what did you... have in mind?" 

"I don't know-- maybe a vibrator or something? It gets difficult trying to finger myself sometimes. Also it gives me a shoulder cramp... and maybe... maybe a plug?" 

Keith swallowed. "Why a plug?" 

Lance looked directly into Keith's eyes and grinned, his eyes narrowing and his expressive eyebrows shooting up. He leaned forward and planted a kiss on Keith's nose, then whispered in his ear. It was so quiet, Keith almost didn't hear what he said. 

"So the next time you come in me, I can keep it in all day, baby~" 

Keith was already imagining all the scenarios, and it must've shown on his face, because Lance laughed a bit and snuggled in closer to Keith. "You okay there space cadet?" 

Keith nodded and cleared his throat, saying, "Yea-- I mean, that would be good. Yes. We'll have to talk to Coran about going to another space mall." 

Lance laughed, and snuggled closer to Keith, kissing his chest before murmuring "You smell good." 

"Thanks. You do, too." 

Lance hummed, and Keith played with his hair, and it was moments like these that truly made Keith wonder if they could be more than friends with benefits. If they could be boyfriends. If they could share open 'I love you's in front of the rest of their friends. If they could ever be more. Because this moment, with Lance curled in on Keith's chest, their legs tangled together with the sheets, it smelling like Lance's vanilla and ocean, Keith's cinnamon apple, and sex-- it felt intimate, more so than Keith had ever felt. 

Maybe it was wishful thinking. But Keith wanted so so _so_ badly for this to be something. That's all Keith really wanted. 

Because Lance was so breathtakingly beautiful, not just in his looks. And Keith was so overwhelmingly captivated, that he often forgot how to breathe around him. It was as if he didn't _need_ to breathe around him, because Lance was all he needed to stay alive. 

It almost made Keith wonder if oxygen was overrated. 


	2. Space mall escapade

Not surprisingly, the rest of Team Voltron was ecstatic to go back to the space mall. Shiro and Allura had still never seen it, and, after a very thorough coaxing of Coran, he deemed the mall safe enough for them to visit as well.

The rest of the team was a bit curious as to why Lance was so adamant about going back to the _same_ space mall, when they had been chased out of it before by a space mall cop, but Lance just shrugged and said it was because he wanted to _"visit one of the stores he saw last time, and buy some items now that he had money."_ It wasn't even a lie, really.

When they touched down after agreeing that Coran would look after the castle as the rest of the paladins ran around, Keith and Lance shared a look before Lance was dragging him off down a row of familiar-looking kiosks, until he reached the one he was aiming for.

"Glad you know your way around," Keith snorted as Lance pulled them into the shop.

Now, Lance (and Keith) had never been in an Adult store, since he was only 17 when he left for space (and he followed rules dammit) so he didn't know what to compare it too, but he could imagine- and he imagined that a sex shop on Earth would look similar to this.

The whole shop was adorned in glowing neon purple light, and sensual- though unfamiliar- music drifted from speakers.

One wall was just for magazines and novels, another for toys, and the final third wall was mostly empty, save for a small door Lance didn't feel like investigating. The alien shop clerk- that Lance guessed was unilu- was sitting by the front, reading a small book. He didn't even look up when Keith and Lance entered, but rather grunted to acknowledge they had arrived.

"So, what are we looking for?" Keith asked. Lance noticed he looked a bit uncomfortable, so he placed a hesitant arm around his shoulder and pulled him close. _This wasn't weird. This was just- two friends-with-benefits buying sex toys and lube together._

"Well," Lance started, making his way to the wall with lube, and grabbing a few bottles. He was glad he brought his jacket with the big pockets today; he didn't really want to be seen carrying out toys and lube in a bag by his teammates. Especially not _Shiro_. That would be awkward- Imagine the sex talk they would get, holy shit. "Well, I'm thinking just a vibrator and a plug. Nothing too fancy, y'know?"

Keith nodded and followed Lance to the toy section. He looked at all the toys and felt uncomfortable, but Lance was totally prepared. Lance happened to be really open with his sexuality- very open about who he liked and how he displayed that affection. He didn't really think sex was awkward, or anything to be awkward about-- it was just, sex. Intimate and nice and refreshing and so so _good_.

He looked at one of the vibrators and then at Keith's crotch, to which Keith scowled and put his hands on his hips. "What?"

"I'm just tryna' figure out if this is the same size as your dick. Can't have it too big, or else I'll be too stretched out when you _actually_ fuck me. Also, if I ever need to get off on my own, I can imagine it's you. It'll just be better."

Keith said a small "okay," and looked over to the plugs. There were a couple, some bigger than others, but he saw one that he really liked.

It was a tiny red plug, made of almost a plastic-like material, and it was enough to make Lance squirm, but not too big- so they could use it how Lance suggested last night.

"How bout this?" Keith suggested, holding it up. Lance's smiled when he saw it, and rushed over to Keith.

"Keith, this looks perfect. I love it, oh my god."

"You're way too excited right now over a _butt plug._ "

"Of course I'm excited about a _butt plug,_ I'm imagining all the fun things we could be doing with it. Aren't you excited? This is going to make missions _fun_."

"Well, they'll make them distracting--"

"Fun," Lance cut off, smiling deviously. He walked over to the cashier with the items in hand and walked over to the counter. "Just these, please."

The cashier barely even looked at Lance when he rang him up, and he handed over the items, which Lance stuffed in his pocket. Just when they were about to leave, turned to Keith and said, "Hold on."

"What?" Keith wondered, laughing.

"I gotta pee. Be right back, okay?"

Keith rolled his eyes but obliged, taking a seat in one of the chairs as Lance ran to a bathroom.

Keith looked around the shop and ran his fingers through his hair. Lance was really going to be the death of him.

The problem was because he was just so _Lance._ So loud and obnoxious and beautiful at the same time. Did he really expect Keith to be able to breathe around him when he was just, like that? Like-- like nothing and everything all at once. He was, literally, perfect in Keith's eyes.

He felt a presence and looked up, seeing Lance standing in front of him. His smile was a bit uncomfortable, but Keith thought he was probably a bit jumpy about getting back to the team. "Alright, let's go."

Keith smiled, and walked by Lance as they left the shop and rounded into the food court, looking for Hunk.

"Didn't he say he wanted to visit-- what was it- "Vrepit Sal's"? Yea. That. So let's find that. We have to leave soon anyways."

Keith noticed Lance was a bit off, a little jumpy. He didn't know why, but he hoped he wasn't thinking too hard about something. Whenever he thought too hard, things were never good.

But this wasn't Lance's thinking too hard face. This was something else Keith couldn't quite put his finger on.

When they spotted Hunk at Vrepit Sal's, Lance went up and said hello while Keith followed along, but stayed back watching Lance's movements. Something was off.

The three of them walked back through the mall until they caught up with Pidge, Shiro and Allura, telling them about time at the mall.

"Did you have fun, princess?" Lance said, smiling. "Buy something sparkly?"

"That I did!" Allura said, holding up plenty of bags, undoubtedly with plenty of new clothes inside. "What did you get, Lance?"

Lance shrugged, but he looked uncomfortable when he did it. "I didn't have enough money for what I wanted, so I ended up not buying it."

"Oh," Allura said, but her smile never wavered. "What about you, Keith? Did you buy anything fun?"

And then it clicked.

He looked at Lance and Lance smiled, likey knowing what Keith had just figured out. Keith swallowed down the lump in his throat and turned to Allura, saying, "Nope. I didn't buy anything. Didn't have money."

Allura nodded and turned towards the other paladins, discussing the items they bought that day.

"Lance, what's wrong? Something on your mind?"

Lance looked at Keith and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Keith shrugged, pressing up a bit closer to Lance. "Nothing, you just looked a little... distracted."

Lance narrowed his eyes at Keith, but the smirk on his face said he knew what was going on. "Nope. I'm perfectly fine, baby. Why?" They were both speaking low enough they knew the other paladins wouldn't hear, but Keith's heart beat still picked up when Lance said it so close to where their friends were walking. It was so dangerous... but fun.

"Nothing," Keith said, smacking Lance on the ass before jogging off in front of him to catch up to his friends. Lance could've sworn he looked back and winked.

 _Fuck,_ Lance was turned on. Even more so with the newly bought plug shoved in his ass.

Lance ran to catch up with the rest of them.

**

When they finally decided to leave the space mall and go back to the castle ship, Lance had nearly almost come three times.

It's not his fault he was sensitive, okay? But... it was his idea to put the plug in. He could admit to that much.

It didn't help that Keith kept looking over at him with that grin on his face.

Lance always thought Keith was really, _really_ nice looking. He could probably spend all day tracing the wrinkles on his face and the freckles on his cheek, and the fact Keith had a worship kink didn't help _at all_ with Lance's obsession.

So when they finally broke off from the rest of the team and Keith started off down the hall of his room, Lance practically pounced on him.

"Shh--" Lance whispered, grabbing Keith by the arm and pulling him into his room, pushing him onto the bed. Sitting on his lap in seconds, still trying to rid his arms of his jacket. When he sat flush on Keith's lap, Lance could feel the plug being shoved deeper into him, almost burning.

"Someone's eager," Keith teased, stripping his jacket and shifting forward to kiss Lance.

Lance _loved_ kissing Keith. It had all the best parts of fucking him senseless bottled up into the slow press of lips, never failing to draw a breath out of Lance- no matter how innocent or chaste. Keith was always so aggressive at first, but then gentle as they both eased into it. Always so loving.

 _But this wasn't love,_ Lance reminded himself.

Lance continued to strip, only breaking his kiss with Keith to pull his shirt over his head, and then toss it aside. He didn't let his jacket go too far, and pulled out a bottle of lube.

"Fuck, Lance, seriously?"

"Yea, _seriously._ I fuckin'... I've had this in my ass all day. You're gonna fuck me, okay?"

Wherever power bottom Lance came from, Keith didn't know. But he was welcomed with open arms.

"How do you wanna do this?" Keith asked in between kisses. "D'ya wanna be on your back, or..."

"No--" Lance shuddered out, placing a hand on Keith's chest and raising his gaze to meet Keith's. "I'm gonna ride you."

Keith smiled and started undoing Lance's pants. "Well, if you insist."

Keith was not completely surprised to find that Lance was already really hard and dripping precome, panting and trying to grind on Keith as much as possible.

"Fuck, Lance-"

"That's the plan?" Lance huffed, his grin still wide.

When Lance finally got out of his pants, he was on Keith in a second- panting and grabbing at Keith's jeans, trying to tear them off. "Come on Keith, faster, let's go-- Hurry up. Before one of us has to go do something."

Keith complied, shrugging out of his pants as fast as he could, ghosting little kisses and nips of teeth over Lance's chest. "So fuckin' pretty, Lance- so beautiful--" he brought a hand down to press against the plus sitting tightly in Lance's ass. "So ready for me, aren't you? So ready, and beautiful-"

"Keith-- Keith come on, hurry up-"

Keith grabbed Lance by the waist and pulled him into his lap, slowly removing the plug and earning a sharp inhale from Lance. Keith reached for the lube and popped the cap open, smearing some onto his hand and then coming down to stroke his leaking cock, before Lance grabbed it and positioned himself, lining up and slowly sinking down.

"F--fuck baby," Lance muttered, grinding down as Keith bottomed out. "Fuckin'-- it's been too long-"

"It's been like, a day, Lance-"

"What's your point?" Lance hissed, moving his hips forward, causing Keith to throw his head back and let out a moan.

"How are you even real?" Keith muttered, mostly to himself. It never failed to amaze him that Lance, beautiful Lance, thought Keith was good enough to fuck. It was wishful thinking, but if he closed his eyes he could imagine Lance loved him too.

And if Lance closed his eyes, he could imagine the same thing.

Lance leaned back, Keith's nails digging into Lance's hips and leaving deep red blemishes in the shape of his fingertips.

Lance moaned as they sped up, the rhythmic push and pull of each other balancing like waves. Lance always liked fucking Keith like this- slow and gentle with the hint of a rough touch- a pull of hair, nails drawing blood. It made everything so damn intimate, Lance could imagine it was more than just a friendly fucking.

What he wouldn't give for this to be more.

"Please-- _fuck, Keith_ -"

"Lance, I'm- I'm really close Lance, really fucking close-"

Lance smirked and leaned forward, nipping at Keith's neck a bit. God he loved leaving hickies on him. If only they were an actual couple- then Lance could do it all the time, and not have to worry about a thing.

"Lance--" Keith warned, and Lance felt the familiar coil of warmth in his belly too, still softly pounding himself into Keith as he nipped and sucked at Keith's chest. "Oh _fuck,_ Lance- I'm--"

Everything went white as Lance moaned, shooting cum onto Keith's chest in heavy spurts, feeling Keith's as he continued to thrust shallowly in and out of Lance, riding out the high. When they both finally came undone, and Lance flopped against the bed, they were too tired to even think about moving.

"So can we test out my idea tomorrow?"

Keith looked over at Lance and hummed a "Hm?" Too blissed out to recognize the question. Lance just laughed and kissed at his nose. _Cute._

"You know? The idea- with--"

Keith started at him, urging him to go on. Lance blushed.

"Y'know, the reason we bought the plug in the first place?"

Keith's eyebrows shot up and he opened his mouth a few times, looking embarrassed. Lance loved him like this- how cute he was all the time without even trying.

"Uh- yea. We could... we could do that. Tomorrow morning? That early?"

Lance shrugged. "We can shower together and prep in there, and then you can- y'know."

Keith nodded and stared back at the ceiling, pointedly avoiding Lance's gaze. "Okay. Cool. Great."

Lance wrapped his arms around him and snuggled in closer to his side. "Goodnight, Keith."

"Goodnight, Lance."


	3. Sounds like a you problem

Keith was really enjoying the way Lance kept squirming.

They were all standing in front of the Duke's throne: a large, metal chair with engravings and picturesque designs. The Duke sat in the chair, staring at the paladins with a ferocity that Lance swore he only ever saw from his mother. Keith stood awkwardly as the Duke and Allura had a staring-contest. It was finally broken when the Duke laughed, a large sound bellowing out into the hall and reverberating on the walls. Keith thought he looked almost like a viking mixed with a highland warrior- the aliens on this planet were all strictly humanoid, tall, and buff. The women looked like Amazonians- they stood at least a head over the men, with strong figures and long flowing hair, and, unlike the men who were strictly a pastel yellow, their skin varied from light purples and pinks to pastel greens and blues. When Lance first saw them he was taken aback, and Keith watched as he put on his natural Lance charm, flirting around with these men and women. Keith rolled his eyes and walked up next to him while he was talking with a particularly curvy bright-blue female, scoffing when he walked up right next to Lance. Lance just turned his head and glared at him.

"What? I can't flirt?" Lance asked, innocently. Keith smirked and leaned in close, enough that Lance could feel Keith's breath on his ear.

"Long as you don't forget who owns that ass of yours."

So, yea, Lance was a little hyper-aware of Keith's come in his ass, being held in by a plug that was _just_ big enough to rub against his prostate when he walked. Of course he was a bit squirmy.

It was his idea though, so Keith didn't feel too bad.

"I see..." the Duke said, snapping Keith out of his gaze at Lance and forcing him to look back to the front. "Well, I think my people would love to join the Voltron Coalition! I think we should throw a feast, don't you, Princess Allura?"

The Princess smiled and nodded. "That sounds wonderful, Duke Hyyrak! Our paladins would love a feast," she turned back to the paladins, smiling. "Right?"

They all nodded with big smiles on their faces. Lance looked uncomfortable, though. Keith smirked.

"Then it's settled! A feast! For the Paladins of Voltron!"

**

The feast was huge, and in Keith's opinion, a little excessive.

The banners that hung from the banquet hall were the colors of Voltron, and each paladin had a specific seat; Lance and Keith sat to the right of Shiro, Pidge and Hunk to the left, "forming Voltron," Allura assumed. Coran and Allura were at the heads of the table as honorary guests, and the rest of the plants inhabitants sat scattered at smaller tables throughout the hall. The food was great and so was the music, and everything looked really nice.

"I'm really uncomfortable, Keith- I think this was a bad idea," Lance hissed out, while the others engaged in conversation. Keith looked over at him, feigning innocence.

"What do you mean?" He asked. They had a very specific rule about not talking about their engagement while in public or on a mission, to make sure they wouldn't get too distracted. Keith knew Lance was probably very uncomfortable (not in a bad way, by the way the tent in his suit grew every time he moved in his chair- but definitely in a 'I'm totally about to come in my pants' way-) and he actually didn't mind talking about it if they were relaxing on a mission like this, but he loved teasing Lance. It was almost as fun as fucking him.

"You know what I mean!" Lance said, and in a whisper, shouted back, "I've got a fucking plug in my ass right now and I'm gonna fucking come in my pants or something if I don't go jerk off."

"That sounds like a you problem."

"It's a both of us problem- because you're coming with me."

Keith laughed, causing Lance to flush red and the others turn to look at him. Lance elbowed him in the stomach and Keith elbowed him back.

"I'm not going with you. This was your idea- take care of it yourself."

Lance huffed and crossed his arms, wincing. "You're the worst friend with benefits ever."

**

Keith could literally not stop laughing.

He guessed it was because he kept on being poured another glass of alien alcohol, and his inhibitions were plummeting fast, but he could also blame Lance for his overly joyous mood.

Lance, who was standing in the corner, itching to dance- honest to god _pouting_. Keith rolled his eyes and walked over to him, grabbing his arm and pulling him out of the banquet hall.

"Where are we going?" Lance winced, running after him.

"We're gonna help you out so you can dance, because I swear, you're fucking pouting and a Lance who isn't dancing to dance music is not normal."

Lance smiled as Keith pulled him down another hall and into a bathroom, locking the door behind them.

Keith grabbed Lance by the waist and shoved him up onto the countertop, leaning into the kiss Lance initiated as Lance hissed at the contact of his ass hitting the counter. Keith fumbled for the familiar feel of his blue baseball tee, but was met with cold, Altean metal. _Damn. Right. The suits._

"Its cool, just, fuck-- pull down the pants, bend me over and fuck me senseless, _please_ ," Lance said.

Keith pulled down the suit pants about halfway, _so close_ , before he stopped.

"Baby, please, for the love of God, don't stop-"

"What are we gonna use for lube?"

"Just--" He stuttered, the hands on Keith's waist coming to a full stop. Then they picked back up again, just as quickly. "Just use your cum."

"What?"

"That's already in my ass, stupid. Use that."

Keith started at him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open slightly. "Ar-- are you sure?"

"Positive," Lance mumbled from where his face pressed in the crook of Keith's neck, giving him a hickey. He was so fucking reckless, Keith almost didn't believe that _just_ the plug was doing this.

Keith pulled down Lance's suit pants and then his own, pressing two fingers into Lance's mouth to muffle the moan as he flipped him around and pulled out the plug- slow, pitifully slow- and then lined himself up, not waiting for even a second before shoving in and feeling Lance all around him.

"Fuck, Lance-- so fucking good--"

Lance couldn't think, let alone speak- especially with Keith's fingers pushing heavy into his mouth and on his tongue, _God_ Lance loved the feeling of something in his mouth- and he moaned into the thrust, feeling way to blissed out.

"Lance, you fuckin'-- God, look at you-" And he could, as he was facing the mirror and watching the whole scene play out for him in the reflection. It was the hottest thing Lance had the pleasure of viewing- Keith, pressed against him with his chin on his shoulder, slamming Lance into the countertop and breathing heavily into his ear as sweet nothings cascaded from his lips. "Look so fuckin' good- taking my cock like this-- fuck, all hot from my cum in your ass. Fucking cumslut-"

Lance moaned and reached over his head to tug at Keith, but Keith grabbed his arms and pinned them between them, making sure Lances thumb was near his asshole so he could _feel_ Keith thrusting into him. He wanted Lance to _feel_ him destroying his ass.

Saliva dripped out of the corner of Lance's mouth as he sucked on Keith's fingers, moaning with each thrust. He was so close, he could feel it in his toes.

"Fuckin' beauiful- taking me so well, baby--"

And Lance was coming. He didn't know what it was about the pet name that drove him over the edge, but suddenly all he could see was white as he felt Keith continue to fuck into him, his oversensitivity going into overdrive.

"So close, Lance-- so fuckin' close Lance- you're mine- mine, mine, mine--"

And then Keith was coming too, filling Lance completely full until his cum dripped out of him, and Keith pressed Lance further into the counter as he pulled out, kissing down his back and to his ass and then- _oh_.

Lance gasped as Keith licked at his hole, lapping up his own come and swallowing as he cleaned Lance out.

"Keith, what the _fuck-_ "

"Shh-- I said I'd eat you out like, a week ago. It completely slipped my mind til just now. Just relax."

Lance tried to, he really did- but Keith ate him out like Lance was his last meal on earth. "Fuck, Keith, baby, slow down or I'm gonna get hard again--"

"That's the plan--"

Keith continued to fuck him with his tongue, squeezing his ass and thighs and watching Lance become more and more unraveled beneath him.

"Fuck- Keith I'm too sensitive right now I'm--"

"You can handle it-"

"Keith I can't-"

"Yes you can-"

"Keith, no I-"

" _Lance-_ " Keith bit out, his voice tight and sharp. "Are you gonna be a good boy and come for me, or not."

Lance was pretty much on board after that.

He stood as Keith lapped at him, pressing in the occasional finger as he spread Lance wider, like he did when getting ready to fuck him. Keith wasn't gonna fuck him again, right? There's no way he'd be able to take that.

"Good boy," Keith purred as he pulled out and pressed a slow kiss onto the dimples in Lance's back. Keith loved these dimples.

Lance whined and moved to stroke himself, but Keith grabbed his hand again and held onto it as he went back in- but not before saying, "I didn't tell you you could touch yourself."

Tears were forming in Lance's eyes as Keith continued, lapping up every bit of Lance that he could. "Fuck, Keith- I--"

Keith pulled off and pressed a kiss to his ass. "Be a good boy- come for me."

Lance did as he was told, coming all over the marble countertop and practically collapsing as Keith sat on the floor touching himself. Lance shuddered.

"Lemme-"

"No," Keith said. "We have to get back soon. It'll be suspicious if we both show up again in the great hall. Go dance, okay? I'll be there in a sec."

"Keith-"

"You'll save me a dance, right?"

Lance gave a sad smile as he tugged up his pants and wiped clean with a towel. "Yea. See you out there, pretty boy."

When Lance left, Keith kept thinking back to the sex as he picked up speed, thrusting into his palm as he imagined Lance, broken and whimpering and absolutely wrecked because of him- and suddenly he was coming, too.

He cleaned off and went to find the team.

**

Lance was his normal self without the plug in- Keith had run back to the castle ship to drop it off before returning to the party- and it was obvious everyone felt the change in mood. Suddenly the party felt ten times more livelier, ten times brighter, and ten times more fun- a mere side effect of Lance.

Keith had settled in my the punch bowls, where he could watch Lance flirt with a young alien male, the pastel yellow in his cheeks tinting red as Lance leaned up against a nearby pillar. Then, as if he was remembering something, his gaze snapped to Keith- who, albeit extremely amused, raised an eyebrow in his direction as if he was suggesting a challenge- and then immediately said goodbye to the alien, walking over to where Keith stood.

"You're flirting," Keith commented. He didn't think it came out harsh, but it must have with the way Lance tensed.

"Yea- I- I'm sorry about that. Force of habit."

"Why are you sorry?" Keith asked, confused. "It's not like we're exclusive. Have fun flirting."

Lance raised an eyebrow as if he didn't understand the statement. "But- dude, you were staring at me like I just spit into your nunvil."

"Was I?"

"Uh, yea?"

Keith shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant as he said, "Maybe I was just waiting to see if I was ever gonna get that dance I was promised."

Lance's eyebrows shot up and his smile went wide, and suddenly he was laughing, pulling Keith by the arm onto the dance floor.

"Have you ever danced before?" Lance asked, looping an arm around Keith's waist as he took their hands together.

"Never," Keith admitted.

"Well then, it's a good time to start."

Lance pulled them both close together and Keith breathed in Lance's scent, kind of like sex and the ocean. They moved together at the tempo of the song, a slow melody Keith couldn't quite put a genre to. It was almost... romantic, the way Lance held them and Keith's head rested on Lance's chest.

"Hey Keith?" Lance asked. His voice sounded so small, Lance hardly believed it was him.

"Yea?"

"What are you gonna do when we get home?"

Keith faltered a bit and stepped on Lance's foot- and he rushed out a sorry before Lance shook his head, laughing a dismissal.

"I don't know. I kinda thought I'd just go back to my little desert shack. Spend the rest of my days there."

"Alone?" Lance asked. He sounded... heartbroken.

"Yea. I mean, I don't really have any family to go back to."

"You could come visit my family."

Keith stopped fully at that, looking at Lance like he'd grown an extra head. "What?"

Lance flushed red and he rushed out his words, sounding suddenly unsure of himself. "I-- I mean like, You could see all our families. Pidge's parents, Mine- oh Hunk's moms are going to love you- they almost cook as much as my mom does, but it's a lot less empanadas and a lot more barbecue."

"That-- that would be great, Lance."

The song ended and they back away from each other a step before the music sped up and Lance sucked in a breath of air. "Oh my God!"

"What?"

"Th-- this song-- this song literally sounds _exactly_ like my favorite Abba song, how--" Lance's gaze fluttered over to the stereo, where Pidge and Hunk stood, laughing. The song didn't have any lyrics, just the music- rhythmic shaking of a rattle making up for the chorus of "Take a chance, take a chance, take a chance-" in the background, and then the familiar sound of a synthesizer. So, Lance really couldn't hold back a smile.

He also couldn't be blamed for singing along.

_"If you change your mind- I'm the first in line, honey I'm still free, take a chance on me-"_

Keith watched as Lance spun him around. He didn't dance, ever, so he had no idea what to do with his feet, or how to move him hands- it was pretty awkward for the first couple of seconds. And then Lance leaned in and said, "Hey- don't think about the music, okay? Just... feel it. And dance."

_We can go dancing, we can go walking, as long as we're together-_

Keith was spinning, spinning too far out of control.

_'Cause ya know I've got- so much that I wanna do! When I dream I'm alone with you- it's maaaagic-_

And he was falling.

 

And falling.

_That I can't let- go._

And falling.

Time almost slipped away for a moment, blurring together with the music and the dancing and Lance- Lance, who never stopped singing.

Who Keith felt was singing to him.

_No I can't let go..._

_'Cause I love you so..._

And, as if nothing had happened, the song was ending- pulling Keith and Lance apart as Keith went to sit down. He needed a moment.

Lance came over and sat next to him, laughing. "Not one for dancing?"

"Not really," Keith said, trying to ignore the way Lance sat so close their shoulders were against one another and Keith's heart rate picked up.

Lance sighed and shook his head, but when Keith looked at him, he was smiling. "I tried, I guess. Don't worry pretty boy- we'll make a dancer out of you eventually."

Keith blushed and turned away, mumbling out an "okay."

Keith almost envied the way Lance looked on the dance floor. All beautiful and happy, the most stunning person in the room. He always was, and it made not falling in love with him really fucking difficult.

It's not like Keith could help it. He was just an 18-year-old kid with a crush. It's not like he could control the way his heart beat in his chest like it was threatening to escape every time Lance looked at him. It's not like he could control the way he lost his breath whenever Lance touched him. You didn't control shit like that- and Keith realized, watching Lance spin Pidge around and dance with Allura, he couldn't fall out of love with Lance.

He was already too far gone.


	4. Zynja? Are you sure?

Lance just always seemed to end up on Keith. Even now, while they were making out in a dark corner of the castle- Lance was on Keith's lap and Keith was so hard it hurt, especially when Lance grinded down into Keith's lap.

"L-- Lance let's go- before something happens and we have to stop."

"Nothing's gonna happen, Keith-- just trust me," Lance said, pressing another hickie onto Keith's neck. He was being less and less cautious about the marks recently, and although Keith was a bit nervous of the others seeing, whenever he caught glimpse of one in the mirror, his heart rate picked up. Because he was _Lance's,_ at least according to the bites.

"I don't think I've ever trusted you when it came to keeping your mouth shut."

"You've trusted me with this," he started, motioning to the two of them, "for almost three months now. So don't worry, Kogane. Let's take it slow. _Trust me._ "

Lance and Keith were in the training room, approximately three minutes later.

"I can't believe you-" Keith started, growling at Lance as he tried adjusting the front of his suit.

"How did I know they were going to call us down for impromptu-team-bonding?" Lance whisper-yelled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Paladins!"

Corans shout over the loud system was so unexpected Lance actually jumped, and Keith easily flowed into a fighting position.

"Yea Coran?" Lance yelled, once he was sure there was no immediate threat.

"We're going to do some basic training today! A couple of hand-to-hand drills and then some tag-team moves! That sound alright?"

"Sounds good, Coran!" Keith yelled.

"Alright! Get ready, boys!"

The droids sprung to life and Keith gripped the handle of his training blade, as Lance held onto his own for dear life. Keith looked at Lance and smiled.

"Hey. Don't worry, okay? We've been training for this. It's just a dance. Follow my lead."

Lance smiled. "Alright."

They really did work together perfectly- it was so good the way they flowed together and merged as one, the more and more they danced around against the bots. Lance wasn't the best at hand-to-hand, even he could admit that, but here, while at Keith's side, he was flawlessly slicing through droid after droid. Even Keith got distracted for a second to admire the way he picked it up so simply.

When the drill ended, Coran said a "good job," over the speaker and announced they would be doing a simulator drill. He started up the sim and Keith stuck close to Lance, holding his bayard. Lance looked more comfortable with his own bayard back in his hand, and Keith was glad. He loved seeing Lance in his element.

They really did make a good team- Lance always having Keith's back at long range, Keith always being able to back Lance up from incoming sneak attacks. They even called out attacks and plans to one another, as if they had developed their own secret language.

"They're doing a really good job," Pidge commented from the watching room, as Keith sliced through a bot that was on it's way to Lance.

"Yea. They're so... in-sync. Never thought I'd see the day..." Allura began. Pidge scoffed, and pushed up her glasses. "What?"

"You guys haven't noticed how much time they've been spending together? They're practically hanging off each other at all times nowadays. It's not really a shock-"

"Well, yes, but I think the princess was trying to say--"

"That they used to be so at each other's throats all the time, and now they're not- it's a nice change," Hunk commented.

"It is," Allura agreed, watching as Lance blasted another bot nearby Keith.

"I'm also glad they're getting along better," Shiro stated. "What do you think has gotten into them though? It's almost day and night how they went from... hating each other too- well, this."

Pidge bit her tongue. She knew what was going on, of course- as it was hard to keep secrets from her and even harder when they all lived on one castle ship together. But despite the teasing she could totally do to them if everyone knew, she didn't feel it was her place to tell the team. Just like back home, when she didn't feel it was her place to tell her parents when she had caught Shiro and Matt sucking face in Matt's room. She shrugged.

"I guess if you spend enough time with anyone in as close-quarters as this you develop a friendship. even if you don't necessarily like them at first. Besides, the whole team thing? That's purely mathematical. Of course they're going to work well together in combat-- Lance is a long-range weapon and Keith is short-range. Everything adds up, for combat standards."

Coran smiled brightly and looked back at her. "Precisely number five! They do make a good team for combat! But I think your fellow paladins were wondering why they seemed to be so in-sync. It's almost like..." his eyes went wide and he stopped, turning back to the monitor. "Oh quiznack."

"What is it, Coran?" Allura inquired, worried. Coran simple cleared his throat.

"It's as if our red and blue paladins here have engaged in... zynja."

Allura paled. "Zynja? Are you sure?"

"What's zynja?" Hunk asked. Pidge already put two-and-two together, and was trying to hide out of everyone's way.

"Zynja is... An Altean ritual," The princess started, hesitantly. "When a couple, or a group, get together on a special predetermined date and... spend a lot of time together."

"Well... it isn't a predetermined date, but I think all of us are partaking in zinja," Shiro tried. When he said it, Coran balked.

"No! No- it's more like- when they spend... intimate time together. No robes or inhibitions. Just themselves and the freedom, oftentimes exploring eachothers bodies... Quite ironic, actually- the, uh... the previous blue paladin often partook in zynja with one of his lovers, a Galran servant he because quite enamored with- of course, Zarkon was none too happy about that..."

"Wait, Coran-" Shiro started, his eyes blinking rapidly. "Are you meaning to say--"

"They're having sex..." Hunk whispered, staring at the two paladins, still fighting against the bots.

"Wait! We don't know that for sure-" Pidge started, trying her best to stop the conversation. Keith and Lance didn't deserve to be outed like this, by gossip and hypotheses. She loved them like her brothers, and she cared about them enough to protect even their dirty little secret. So she made something up. "Zynja may be like that on Altea, but on Earth it's different. A lot of times people have sex because they like each other. And it doesn't necessarily make them closer at all, because they're already close. Right?"

"Well, I guess... But what about friends-with-benefits? They don't necessarily have to like each other, just... they just kind of do it to release steam."

Shiro was turning redder and redder as the conversation progressed. "Please, guys, I feel like we shouldn't be talking like this. Those are our friends- Keith is like a little brother to me, I don't wanna discuss his potential sex life with Lance."

"But what if they have partook in zynja?" Pidge asked. She might as well find out and try to warn them before something bad happened.

"Well... although you can have many different zynja partners, partaking in it only increases your bond with those partners. It practically harmless..." Coran stroked his mustache, and then shook his hand is dismissal. "But I do not believe that is it. If they had partaken in zynja, we would have known! It's very easy to tell when someone has been together as suggested, as it is only a matter of time before they become publicly affectionate."

"It doesn't matter, we can know for sure soon." Allura stated. Pidge looked at her in panic.

"Why? What are you going to do?"

"I am doing nothing," she said- but she was smiling deviously. "But the next planet on our list of recruiting for the coalition is Kriva."

**

"Are you exhausted as I feel right now?" Lance groaned, waiting for Keith to open the door to his room. Keith grunted and stepped inside as the door slid open, and they both walked in and started de-suiting.

"It's really not fair they make only us train all day," Keith grunted. "Like- Hunk still needs help with his hand-to-hand, why isn't he training?"

Lance finished peeling off the suit and flopped onto Keith's bed. "I know man, I'm fuckin' exhausted and I also can't feel my arm. Keith. Come feel my arm to make sure it's still there."

Keith rolled his eyes but walked over to Lance anyways once he too had taken off the suit, and squeezed his arm. Definitely still there, and he took note of the small muscle mass there as well. Training has really helped him fill out his arms, and Keith could _definitely_ appreciate that. "Yep. Your arms are still there."

"Oh thank god, how would I cuddle you if I lost my arms?"

"The world might end as we know it," Keith replied in a monotone voice. He stopped as Lance pulled him into an embrace and cuddles up behind him, slipping his hands underneath Keith's tank top. "Lance, what are you doing?"

"Hu? Oh- uh- cuddling?"

"Okay, I- you're not actually going to try anything tonight right? I _really_ don't wanna have sex tonight."

"God, Keith- tell me how you really feel."

Keith sighed and rolled over so him and Lance were face to face. It made him realize, once again, how intimate they were together. How close they were because of their agreement. "I'm saying I'm exhausted, way too exhausted to even think about sex. You don't have to stay here if you don't want to."

Lance snorted and turned Keith back round again, nuzzling his face into the nape of his neck. "I know, _tonto_. I'm fuckin' too tired as well. Don't worry. I'm not gonna try anything. Jus' wanna cuddle."

Keith sighed an "okay," before he settled back in against Lance, leaning into his touch.

Keith's head was reeling. They never did this- well, of course they did _this,_ of course they cuddled, but it was always after sex and _only_ after sex- this was way too intense. It was as if they were boyfriends or something, and Keith was not ready to get his hopes up. Lance never really slept well, he told Keith, but whenever he had someone curled against him he slept like a baby. Not _Keith. Someone._ It didn't matter.

Besides, what were they even going to do back on earth? Lance could date for real and find a nice girl or boy to date and they wouldn't have this arrangement anymore because- despite how much he flirts- Lance was a good guy. He wouldn't be unfaithful. It was one of the many things Keith admired about him.

So... that's why Keith thought this was ridiculous. There's no rhyme or reason for Lance to be snuggling into Keith except for the fact it helped him sleep better.

_Although, they're both exhausted. They should both be able to go to bed and be out like a light with the training they'd just had. But no- Lance still decided to come and sleep with him- and **just** sleep, for the first time ever._

Keith really couldn't say he minded though.

**

Lance thought he was an absolute idiot.

_Snuggling with him? After you haven't even had sex? Are you kidding me!_

Because, unfortunately, Lance really liked Keith.

And he couldn't seem to help it, really. He thought he might be able to keep a level head and be calm about the whole thing as they went through their little exchange, but to Lance it was stupid- because he knew his was never just a "friends with benefits" thing. This was always _something_ to Lance.

He just realized it was love a bit too late.


	5. The gang meets more aliens

The Krivans were an exceptionally... promiscuous society, to say the least.

When the team had touched down on Kriva, they were met with the loudest display of sexuality that they had ever seen. The aliens looked strangely humanoid, but were obviously alien. They had large, grey, unblinking eyes and, as Coran had told them, 'two pairs of genitalia.' Pidge looked very uncomfortable as they walked to the castle, passing lewd displays and literal sex parties happening out in the open.

When they reached the castle of the Kriva leader, they were ushered inside by a tall guard, who looked very similar to a drag queen. They all thanked the guard as they were lead to a throne room, past many other rooms filled with loud moans and cries, into a large chamber where the Kriva Queen, Vye, sat.

The introduction of the Queen was also very... _interesting_.

She sat on a throne that would've been large enough for a bear, or three bears, maybe even a baby elephant. On it were luscious pillows and red velvet blankets, making the whole thing look very comfortable. Queen Vye sat in the center, spread out as she was having her- dick? Yea. That was definitely a dick, pink and hard and slightly curved- she was having her dick sucked, presumably by a Krivan servant as another held a vibrator in her vagina, which was just slightly lower than where her dick was. The team didn't know where to look. Pidge looked as though she might faint, Keith was focused on staring at her face, that same blank expression he always tried to keep on missions never faltering. Shiro and Hunk were trying to do the same, but they were both failing at keeping a stoic expression, and Lance was uncomfortably hard. When Keith noticed this, he smacked him.

"What?" Lance hissed, trying not to stare at the Queen's breasts, which were just... out there. The Krivans really didn't care too much for clothes.

"Don't what me. Knock it off- this is serious business, Lance."

"What do you want me to do? I can't just tell my boner to go away! Are you seeing this? A hot alien lady with a dick? Are you _kidding me?_ "

Keith rolled his eyes. "You're hopeless."

When they finally got to the edge of Queen Vye's throne, the Queen dismissed the servants and threw a blanket around herself, so she was covered. It helped the team relax a bit, but it did nothing to help Lance's boner.

"Paladins of Voltron! How very lovely to see you," she commented, walking down to shake each of their hands. "I'm sorry you have come in the middle of one of our festivities- I know how very reserved you humans are with the act of zynja, and I'm very sorry if any of our traditions have made you uncomfortable. But I cannot deny my people of the festivities."

"That is quite alright, your majesty," Shiro spoke, trying to get to the subject. "We were just wonderi-"

"Hold on, if you will, black paladin- I have never met a human before, only read about them in our books. I would love to ask you some questions about yourself- for example, you only have a single set of zynja organs, correct?"

Shiro swallowed but nodded, "Yes."

"And- you only mate with ones that you truly love, is that correct?"

"Well-"

"Not usually, Queen Vye. Sometimes humans do things no-strings-attached," Lance interjected. Keith's heart sank. Of course Lance would call attention to the one thing they're doing, like an idiot.

"Oh? But- from what I can pick up from your scents, that is how you interact with significant others. By love."

Keith froze and looked at her, and Lance practically shouted, "WHAT?"

"Oh please, as if you don't know. Krivan can pick up on the scents others give off from their sex partners. There are some that have never gained a scent, like your yellow and green paladins," Vye said, motioning to Hunk and Pidge. "There are some that have a scent, but it is very faint- their lover had been gone for a while- yes, black paladin?"

Shiro nodded, blushing as he looked down.

"And you, red and blue paladins- you have recently been with your lover, yes?"

Lance and Keith were hesitant, but they nodded, and the rest of the team stared at them, wide eyed.

"Of course, I cannot tell exactly who your lover is. Your scent is not that strong since you are human, but I _can_ tell you love them very much. Your partner must be very lucky. And to partake in zynja takes a very special relationship. I fully trust you two, and the rest of your team."

"Well, that's good, thank you, Queen Vye. We have come to recruit you for the coalition, the fight against the Galra," Shiro interjected, so Lance and Keith could be spared the stares of what they already knew was their coming out.

"Of course- me and my people would be happy to join. Please, stay for a feast."

"Really, your majesty, I don't think-"

"Oh please! It shall be tame, black paladin. My people can commence their celebrations on a later date. For now, we must celebrate!"

The team shared a look, but they all knew there was no talking the Queen out of this.

"I suppose it's alright."

**

Every party they attended was the same.

The first couple of months were fun, especially for Lance who was used to big meals, but over the course of time they grew more and more repetitive. Eventually, they were just meals. Nothing to special about them.

Yes, the food was always delicious. The festivities were lovely. The entertainment was splendid. The people were nice. But they were so, so monotonous by now. All the same.

Always, 'Oh! Oh! Paladins if Voltron! Please, can we get a picture!' or 'Oh, Paladins! You must dance with us!' Hell, even on Kriva, they did the same things and had the same festivities. Save for a... lack of clothes, most of it was the same.

Keith enjoyed being able to sit back and relax- to have time for himself during these sorts of things. Sometimes Lance would drag him off for a quickie in a closet, and after that he'd be a bit clingier, but tonight was the opposite. He was dancing, yes, but not as much as he had in the past. He'd barely look at Keith. Even those sunshine-smiles he wore were duller and small, and Keith was worried.

About what, he didn't know. It's not like they were _together-_ they were just fucking. But hey, Lance was his teammate and he was going to cheer him up if he could. However he knew how.

"Hey," Keith said as he approached him, watching as Lance ate a small pastry from a fancy plate.

Lance turned and gave a curt nod, shoving the food into his mouth. "Hey."

"What's up?"

"Nothing's up."

"Are you sure?"

"Yea? I'm fine."

Keith reached out to put his arm on Lance. "You don't look fine."

Lance jerked away, as if it was a habit, and then softened. "Sorry- I just... Can we talk? In private?"

"There's nobody around, if you wanna blow me you could just say so-" Keith tried to joke.

"No- I- I really just wanna talk."

Keith stared at him, waiting for a 'gotcha,' but it didn't come, and so he nodded and gave Lance a light smile. "Alright. Lead the way."

They walked down a corridor and into a stairwell, never letting go of each other's hands. They walked in total silence until they got to the very top, and pushed open the door to the roof.

"Wow," Keith commented, taking in the sunset. "It's almost like home."

"Yea?" Lance laughed, walking over to the edge of the roof and sitting down. "Yea. It looks a lot like the sunsets at the beach."

"The desert had sunsets like this too," Keith laughed, sitting next to Lance. "It would get all pink and purple and orange... really pretty."

Lance looked at Keith, and smiled as he said, "Yea. Really pretty."

Keith met his eyes and they shared a second of silence before Lance cleared his throat and turned toward Keith. "Listen- I-- I didn't know if I was ready. To tell the team yet."

"Me neither-"

"I- yea- but it looks like we don't really have a choice. They basically know, right? They know we've been having-- what did they call it? Zinga?"

"Zynja-"

"Yea, that- they know we've had that recently- and I'm assuming it's sex- and they all know there's no way I've bagged Allura, and they know you're gay... I just... I know for sure Pidge has figured it out. Fuck, she might've even known before tonight. The point is- we need to figure out what this is."

"What?"

"I mean... I'm not crazy, right? This isn't just a friends with benefits thing. This is, honest to god, a partnership. We're a team, Keith. A damn good one. And I-- I would take a space bullet for you, man."

"Y- yea. Me too, Lance."

"And I just- I don't want this to affect the team, y'know? Like- this might make the team dynamic weird."

"Are you- are you suggesting we stop this?"

"No? Maybe... I don't know, Keith. I'm... I don't want to. This is the only thing that's kept me sane for so long. But like... we should make sure the team is ok with it."

"If they weren't, wouldn't they have talked about it with us earlier?"

Lance paused, and turned back to the sunset. He sighed, his breath coming out into the cool air like a puff of smoke. "Yea. I guess you're right. Okay. Sure. Just... keep this up then, I guess." He got up, brushing off his suit. "Thanks, Keith."

He walked away before Keith could say anything back.

**

It was stupid, really. Thinking this was more than an arrangement. A fuckbuddy arrangement. They could call it friends-with-benefits all they wanted, they were fuckbuddies. That's all Keith thought they were.

It just... It wasn't completely idiotic of Lance to think there might've been something more? Hidden in the shadows, possibly, but... but there was something. Some about the way they trained together. Something back how the way they both held on. Close, tight as they slept together. Something about the way Keith's name seemed to flow off Lance's tongue so easily, and vice versa. This couldn't have been so black-and-white, could it?

Nonetheless, Lance had never felt so alone at night.

Something about the numerous galaxies just outside his window and Keith in just the next room over- so close yet so fucking far away. Lance couldn't keep it up. He couldn't keep lying to himself saying this was just an arrangement on his part. He was just as much in love with Keith as he was in lust.

And to him, that was terrible.


	6. Couldn’t kill ya

Falling in love, Lance realized, _sucked._ And not even in the fun way.

He couldn't think of anything without thinking of Keith, too. When he wanted to train, his brain told him to ask Keith to train as well. When he was sad, he had an idea that talking with Keith could make it better. Even when he was going to bed, he couldn't fully rest properly unless he imagined himself cuddled up close to Keith.

It was absolutely crazy. Lance felt crazy- _this-_ this was crazy. And that's basically how he ended up in Hunk's room.

"I've gotta talk to you about something," Lance said, coming in unannounced.

"O- okay?"

"I have a problem, dude. A big problem. A big, cute, Keith-sized problem."

"Oh my god-"

"So," Lance continued, sitting on Hunk's bed. "I uh... you may or may not know that I've been sleeping with Keith."

Hunk smiled. "I knew. For a while... actually- I don't know- how long has this been going on?"

"Almost three months."

"Wow."

"Yea."

"Okay," Hunk took a breath, staring at his feet. "Okay, okay, okay-- well, I guess if it's not affecting the team, I'm glad you're releasing steam, experimenting--"

"I think I'm in love with him."

This was news to Hunk. And Lance, kind of. It was good to get it off his chest, just _say it_ for once, and it was good. But it sent Lance into another spiral of doubt. Because he knew by now, practically, that Keith didn't feel the same. There was just _no way._ No way Keith actually liked Lance, for more than just his dick or his looks- no way Keith would like what's on the inside, or be able to put up with it. He didn't want the gift, he just liked the wrapping paper.

"Are you sure?" Hunk asked, putting a comforting hand on Lance's back. Lance leaned into it, trying to absorb as many good Hunk vibes as possible.

"Positive. Thing is, I don't think he loves me back. Not like that. He loves my body- trust me, god, the things he's done-"

"Too much, buddy."

"Yea, well- he definitely likes the outside of me. But the inside is a completely different story, Hunk- I've got- I've got fuckin', bits and pieces missing. I'm a mess or self deprecation and loathing, and I just don't think he really wants that."

"Well, what are you going to do about that?"

"I don't _know, _Hunk. Never tell him my real feelings? Because I'm afraid of rejection?"__

__"I don't think that's your best bet, buddy."_ _

__"Do you not think I don't know that? Hunk, it's killing me. I gotta fuckin' tell him."_ _

__"Yea, I think you do."_ _

__Lance ran a hand down his face, sighing. "This is not gonna end well."_ _

__"Hey," Hunk tried, rubbing a small circle onto Lance's back. "You don't know that. He could like you back."_ _

__Lance laughed, but it was sad and void of any real happiness. "Yea. Totally."_ _

__*_ _

__"Shiro, you don't get it."_ _

__"Obviously not," Shiro replied. His voice was on the edge of yelling, which was the scariest Shiro could get. And Keith had seen him at his absolute worst. "I don't get why you didn't just tell me you two were dating, Keith."_ _

__"Because we're not dating-"_ _

__"Well that's the only logical explanation for what Queen Vye said! There's literally nobody else on this castle Keith! You heard her, you two love each other! So if you're not dating, what is it?"_ _

__" _We're just having sex, okay?_ Is that what you want to hear? Lance and I are fucking, and it's good, and healthy, and I actually do love him but there's no way that he actually loves me back. So just, drop it, Shiro."_ _

__Shiro stood and watched as Keith crossed the room at sat on his bed, placing his head in his hands._ _

__"Oh," Shiro said, coming to a full stop. "Oh... that's... that is a lot of information, Keith."_ _

__"I know."_ _

__"And you... you love him?"_ _

__Keith sighed. "Unless you can explain the damn feeling I get in my chest whenever I see him as something _other_ than love, then yea. It's love."_ _

__"Wow. Are— are you sure he doesn't love you back? I mean... Lance doesn't seem the type..."_ _

__"To fuck people and not feel anything about it?"_ _

__"... Yea."_ _

__Keith shrugged, curling further in on himself._ _

__"Well... what are you going to do about it?"_ _

__"Nothing, I guess."_ _

__"Nothing?"_ _

__"Nothing."_ _

__Shiro frowned, taking a step towards Keith and then sitting on the bed next to him, placing a hand on his back. Keith leaned into it, then rolled into Shiro's chest and let himself be hugged._ _

__"It couldn't kill you to tell him how you feel?" Shiro suggested, letting Keith grow even more tired in his grip._ _

__"I guess not. But we have a big mission coming up, right? I'll wait until after that. Don't need fucking emotions and shit clogging up our heads."_ _

__"Yea. Thats a good idea. But afterwards?"_ _

__"Yea- yea. I'll... I'll talk to him."_ _

__**_ _

__Keith did not get the chance to talk to him._ _

__It was an easy mission really- just infiltrate a Galra warship and steal some shit and they're out of there. No sweat- they'd done it a million times, what's a million and one?_ _

__No, the only thing that made this different was that the Galra knew they were coming. So, uh... it was pretty bad._ _

__Hunk and Lance had teamed up to take down one ship and Keith was paired with Shiro to take out another. It seemed the best course of action and Keith was actually glad, for once in his life, that him and Lance weren't on a mission together, because it meant he could completely put love or whatever out of his head and focus on the mission._ _

__That was, until the mission went absolutely, horribly awry._ _

__For one, Keith was very much aware that Shiro was having a bad day. He got them sometimes, and really only Keith could tell when they came along since they'd known each other for so long, but Shiro, being Shiro, wouldn't take any mind to his personal health- no matter how much the others told him it was important- if it meant getting in the way of a mission. Because he was selfless and honestly, a bit stupid._ _

__So when Keith turned around and Shiro wasn't behind him, Keith pretty much knew he was fucked._ _

__He ran off back down the hall only to find Shiro being held in the air by two Galra sentries, a commanding officer standing in front of him, holding a pistol aimed at Keith._ _

__"Fuck."_ _

__"Hello, paladin. I see you understand your predicament, yes?"_ _

__"Mother fucker- I don't have time for this, so put him down or fight me."_ _

__"Ooh, feisty- I like 'em feisty."_ _

__Keith barred his teeth as the officer stepped forward and dropped the gun, pulling a sword out from his back. Even Keith had to admit it looked pretty cool, but- _no, damnit. No time to ogle the pretty knife, just- fight this dude.__ _

__The officer charged forward first, and Keith barely had enough time to pirouette out of the way before getting stabbed like a kebab. Keith thrust a cheap shot at his chest, and then fell forward as he miscalculated the speed of the Galra, tumbling out of the way and standing back up again, before he was hit in the back by something and he fell forward._ _

__His head hit the front of his helmet and he had the wind knocked out of him, before he was being pulled up by his arm and a sentry was facing him towards where another had shot him in the back. Luckily, they hit his armor, so he wasn't too badly hurt, but he was disoriented enough from hitting his head that he had to blink a few times to see clearly again._ _

__"Pathetic-" The officer spit. "And you're supposed to be the defenders of the universe?"_ _

__**_ _

__Lance was also not having much luck._ _

__As soon as they touched down on _their_ designated ship, they were thrown right into the heat of battle. It was okay, really, because Lance was an expert sharpshooter without trying and Hunk was a massive _tank-_ but it was also not okay, because they had no close-range weapons and the bots were getting closer and closer and- they really should've thought this through better._ _

__Which was why they were sat in a cell onboard the ship the were meant to infiltrate, helmet-less, bayard-less and stripped of their dignity._ _

__"Do you ever think maybe we're not meant to live through this?" Hunk asked somberly from his side of the cell. He sat up against a cold metal wall as Lance looked at the lock, looking for a way of escape._ _

__"That's pretty morbid buddy."_ _

__"But do you?"_ _

__Lance sighed and looked back at his friend. "Of course I do, man. I mean... the universe is pretty big. We both know that. And I.. I miss my family a lot, and... and yea I sometimes think I may never see them, but you can't do that to yourself. It's just going to hurt even more."_ _

__Hunk went silent for a sec and then looked at his friend. "What are you thinking 'bout now."_ _

__"How I really miss pizza. And my mom. And how I might never get to tell Keith how much I love him. And how, despite that, I'm glad I'm locked in here with you, Hunk."_ _

__"Really?"_ _

__"Yea, man. You're my best buddy. It's us against the world, y'know?"_ _

__Suddenly he was being crushed, and he really didn't mind._ _

__When the finally pulled apart and Lance could breathe steadily again, he looked up and noticed something._ _

__"Dude. Bro. Hunk."_ _

__"Yea?"_ _

__"Look," Lance pointed, almost desperate._ _

__"Oh my god."_ _

__**_ _

__Keith and Shiro were also trapped in a cell, and Shiro looked like he was dying._ _

__"You look like you're dying," Keith said, worried._ _

__Shiro looked back at Keith and then blew a small huff of air from his nose. "Thanks, Captain Obvious, anything else you'd like to report?"_ _

__Keith shoved him lightly and then looked down at his hands. "I miss Earth sometimes. Even though I have nothing to go back to."_ _

__"Why's that?"_ _

__"I don't know... I don't know if I miss Earth or I miss not having to fight for my life every day. It... I miss being able to take rides in the desert and think. I miss fucking around in the flight simulators with you back at the Garrison."_ _

__"Well, we could always take the Black Lion out for a spin, just like old times, if you really want to?" Shiro suggested, tapping his finger on his knee. Keith knew he was counting the steps of the soldiers._ _

__"It's not the same. I just... I miss being a teenager. Who was allowed to have stupid crushes and do-"_ _

__"So that's what this is about."_ _

__"What?"_ _

__"You're thinking about Lance, aren't you?"_ _

__"...No?" _Yes.__ _

__Shiro sighed and turned towards Keith. "You're still allowed to have crushes you know. And be in love. Just because you're fighting a space war doesn't mean you have to completely forget the fun aspects of your life, Keith. You're allowed to have fun- safe, protected fun- okay?"_ _

__"... What if I never see him again? What if we die in this cell and I never get to tell him I love him?"_ _

__Keith looked so hurt, Shiro almost didn't want to respond. But Shiro knew, deep down, there was no reason for Keith to worry. They'd find a way out of this. They always did._ _

__And as for Keith telling Lance he loved him..._ _

__"I'm sure he already knows."_ _

__**_ _

__When the sentry rounded the corner to where Hunk and Lance's cell was, he wasn't paying too close attention. If he was, he'd have seen this coming._ _

__Hunk told him that he _really really really_ had to go to the bathroom, and that he promised to try no funny business, and when the sentry opened the door Lance swung down from the pipes overhead and sent him flying backwards, grabbing the gun he dropped and shooting him down in one quick second._ _

__"Damn," Lance laughed, walking over to the sentry and dislocating his hand for later use. "Galra are really dumb."_ _

__"Hey, careful- that's half your boyfriend you're talking about."_ _

__"He- he's not my boyfriend-" Lance started, pointedly looking not at Hunk. Hunk rolled his eyes and grabbed the hand from Lance, following him down to the room where Lance had seen the sentries throw their helmets and bayards._ _

__"Maybe not yet, but right now the odds are ever in our favor, and as soon as you get back to the ship I'm making you profess your undying gay love for him."_ _

__Lance rolled his eyes and laughed as Hunk used the hand to open the door and they stepped inside, locating their helmets and bayards, Lance feeling a wave of calm rush over him as he was back in contact with his rifle._ _

__"Pidge, crisis averted, what's the chance we still have time to grab what we need and go?"_ _

___"Pretty bad. They now have scouts doubled up on the entrance of the room you need to access. But that's not important right now. You need to book it to the ship Shiro and Keith infiltrated. They're in trouble."_ _ _

__"What kind of trouble?"_ _

___"They don't have their helmets, and by the looks of it on the thermal scan I sent out to that base, they're both in a holding cell like you and Hunk were. So get there, ASAP."_ _ _

__"Roger that." Lance turned to Hunk and started walking back down the hall, the internal map he was focusing on back in the cell guiding him to where he knew Blue was parked._ _

__"Come on, we gotta go save our leader and my dumb boyfriend."_ _

__**_ _

__Keith was sure that he was going to be stuck in that cell forever._ _

__That was, of course, until a blast of blue took out the guard standing post with one deadly headshot, sending him flying backwards into a wall._ _

__When Keith saw Lance, he damn near cried._ _

__"Lance!" He shouted, as the Lance grabbed the hand of the sentry and pressed it up against the hand scanner, causing the door to fling open, Keith rushing outside to pull Lance into a hug, kissing his helmet since he couldn't reach his face._ _

__"Woa, woa- I'm happy to see you too, pretty boy- wh- why don't we uh... get off this ship before we celebrate?"_ _

__Keith looked back towards Shiro and flushed red and he raised an eyebrow, obviously catching on to what Lance meant by 'celebrating.'_ _

__Hunk grabbed Shrio and holled him  
over his shoulder, since he seemed pretty worse for wear after the Galra sentries had beaten him a bit, and Keith lead them to a room much similar to the one Lance and Hunk's items were kept, and retrieved two helmets and a bayard. Once his sword sprung to life, he looked back at Lance and smiled._ _

__"Lead the way, sharpshooter."_ _

__Lance had never smiled so big._ _

__They ran down hallways, Keith and Lance taking lead and Hunk came up in tow, until they're reached the docks where Red and Blue were sitting, waiting for their paladins. Keith took off towards Red with a small smile at Lance and he ran off towards Blue with Hunk and Shiro._ _

__And once they were all finally floating back through space towards the castle-ship, Lance let out a breath of air._ _

__"That was certainly a close one, huh boys?"_ _

__The sound of Keith's laugh through the com made his heart burst._ _

__"Sure was."_ _


	7. His air

Keith really wished Lance would stop looking at him like that.

In all fairness, the meeting Allura was having them sit though probably wasn't that important. It was just a run-down of the mission they had just gotten back from, all the things that went wrong, could've gone better, etc...

And Lance was staring at Keith like he was the only goddamn person in the entire world.

Now, normally, Keith would be a hundred and ten percent cool with this- he was so ready to tell Lance how much he loved him, and he could only hope that Lance felt the same- but by the way Lance's eyes were baring heart-shaped holes into the side of Keith's skull, he was pretty sure Lance totally felt the same.

That didn't mean Keith wasn't a little upset that he was almost as red as his lion by this point.

He wasn't usually on the receiving end of attention, okay?

So when Allura ended the meeting and Lance basically shot across the table to grab Keith by the arm and pull him down the hall, Keith had a strange sense of déjà vu and and even stranger sense of butterflies clogging up his lungs.

"Hey Keith?" Lance asked, once they had reached Lance's room and Lance had pulled him inside, for once not having the main intention of fucking him senseless.

"Yea, Lance?"

"I've got something to say..."

"... Uh hu?"

Lance took a breath and then looked Keith dead in the eyes before saying, "I... I love you."

Keith smiled and rushed forward towards Lance's lips, barely meeting them before saying a hurried, "I love you too," and then pressing a kiss onto his lips.

And this was where they fell apart.

The two of them pressed into each other so deeply, it was as if they had been like this from the very beginning- two halfs of the same whole, one being. Lance had pressed back into Keith, pushing him further onto the bed in an effort to melt even further into him, smiling through the rushed kisses. In fact- so strangely unlike all the other times they had been in the same positions- they stayed just like this, laughing against each other's mouths and breathing in the same air and absolutely melting into each other. Just kisses- timid, hot and sloppy- and hesitant hands and wandering minds.

But why the hesitation?

Maybe it was because this was the first time they had said "I love you," or perhaps it was just from the nerves of the last battle.

"L- Lance?" Keith asked, his voice rough and shaky.

"Yea?"

"I love you."

Lance laughed, still the most beautiful sound Keith had ever heard, and he nipped at Keith's neck before whispering, "I love you too."

For the first time ever, they were gentle- there was no rushing, no furious tearing just to get out of their clothes- just gentle, chaste kisses and timid hands and fleeting breaths and smiles and whispered 'I love you's.

It was almost laughable how they acted both like teenagers again, about to lose their virginities to eachother. Because they both knew each other so well- Keith knew every rise and fall of Lance's chest, Lance knew every freckle and scar on Keith's body.

So it was familiar when they touched, when they kissed, but it was so _new_ \- as if they had changed at all. As if love had changed them- despite them both knowing it had not.

Because in reality- love couldn't change anything. Not when that's what it was right from the beginning.

It was the whispers, it was the longing glances, it was the care and consideration- the cuddling and the warm baths together. It was all of that.

But most of all, it was the fact that- despite everything- they would never give up.

**

Keith had finally figured out what he loved most about Lance- and it was, unsurprisingly, the way he looked after sex.

It wasn't a kink thing- or even a lust thing, to Keith. It was a... a vulnerability thing. It was the fact that Keith loved Lance so much, so fucking much, and _he_ was the only one that get to see him like this. Exhausted and naked and completely without inhibitions. But also- so soft. So gentle and caring. The way he wove his legs between Keith's and grabbed his hands, running his fingers over Keith's own and drawing circular patterns into Keith's body so precisely, like he was fragile- that's what Keith loved. He loved the face he didn't feel uncomfortable around Lance. He was here, naked and vulnerable and giving Lance everything he had to offer- and all Lance could do was look at him like he held the entire universe in his eyes. It made Keith almost drunk with admiration and love.

"Keith?" Lance broke, still drawing circles. 

Keith almost was too dazed to respond, instead letting out a quiet, "Hm?"

"Does this mean... we don't have to hide anymore?"

"What do you mean.. I think the team knows."

Lance rolled his eyes, but there was a small, hopeful smile on his lips. "Well, yea. But I mean like- are we together now? Can I hold you hand on missions and call you terrible pet names and embarrass you in front of our friends?"

"Ugh, don't you embarrass me enough?" Keith responded with a coy smile.

Lance hit him on the arm, not too hard. "Keith."

"Yea. Of course you dork, you can hold my hand. And make out with me in front of everyone to gross them out."

Lance gasped. "Really?"

Keith laughed in response, nodding, and Lance wrapped his arms around him, pulling him impossibly closer.

"You're the best and I love you, so much-" Lmace mumbled, kissing Keith's cheek. Keith couldn't contain his smile.

"I love you too, Lance."

**

If Keith were being honest, sometimes he forgot to breathe.

He would train really hard and have to catch his breath, and it was the worst feeling ever, trying to get all the escaped air back into his lungs. But he just... forgot.

He would lay on the bed and Lance could come in, lay on top of Keith, and Keith would be too tired to even _think_ of moving while his boyfriend slept soundly on his chest. He would be a good pillow and not move.

He always failed.

Lance never seemed to mind.

But the one thing that never failed to make Keith forget about air entirely was watching Lance. Not in a- "I watch you when you sleep" way, but a... quiet observation way. Watching him train, watching him get ready for bed, watching him talk to the team. Watching him live.

For some reason that always got Keith's lungs to refuse to work.

And Keith figured it was probably a bunch of things- the overwhelming fact of _'God I love my boyfriend'_ being the biggest on that list- but Keith chose to believe it was because he didn't need to.

He didn't need to breathe when Lance was around because Lance _was_ what Keith needed to breathe. He was all Keith needed, he realized late one night as Lance gripped onto him in his sleep. He was all Keith needed, he realized one afternoon as they held hands on the couch watching movies. He was all Keith needed, he realized as they both fell back on the bed, sweaty and exhausted from sex.

He was all Keith needed, because Lance was Keith's air.

And it almost made him wonder, if oxygen was overrated.


End file.
